NHL Friday best bets: Bratt, Devils to make noise vs. Blues
Thursday was not our night. The Maple Leafs lost in a shootout, the Oilers couldn't translate 49 shots into enough goals against Stars backup Scott Wedgewood, and we were hooked left, right, and center on the shot props. Tough stuff.
Although there are only two games to pick from on Friday night, there's still some value to be had. Let's look at the best ways to attack the slate.
Devils (-160) @ Blues (+135)The Blues certainly look like one of the league's worst teams. They haven't accomplished much offensively, scoring just 1.53 goals per 60 minutes of five-on-five play. That slots them 30th, ahead of only the vastly declining Capitals and winless Sharks.
Making matters worse, their defensive game is anything but stable. They concede shots at a higher rate than every team but the Sharks and are also near the basement when it comes to preventing expected goals.
Put it all together and you have a team that ranks 28th in goal share and 29th in expected goal share at five-on-five. Not great.
On the flip side, even without two-way star Nico Hischier, the Devils look more and more like the well-oiled machine we saw a season ago.
Jack Hughes leads the league in scoring, Jesper Bratt is third in points, Tyler Toffoli has seven goals through nine games, Timo Meier is riding a six-game point streak, and the team's underlying process continues to improve.
Even against a solid Wild team that got Matt Boldy back in the lineup on Thursday night, the Devils won the expected goal battle by a puck and a half and generated seven more high-quality chances than they allowed.
There isn't much of a talent difference - if any - between Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid, and the Devils have a lot of young legs in their lineup. The back-to-back situation shouldn't impact them as much as most teams.
Look for the Devils to take care of business within 60 minutes.
Bet: Devils in regulation (+100)
Jesper Bratt over 2.5 shotsNo Hischier, no problem. The Devils' star winger hasn't skipped a beat without the captain by his side. Bratt has piled up eight points and nine shots in less than three full contests since Hischier went down with an injury.
Bratt remains a focal point on the league's best power play and has taken on more of a shooting role at five-on-five. No forward has attempted more shots than Bratt over the last three games, which is no small feat considering the Devils roster high-end snipers like Meier, Hughes, and Toffoli.
Bratt is skating on a line with Ondrej Palat and Michael McLeod, both of whom are distributors rather than shooters. That translates into more opportunities for Bratt - and he's clearly taking advantage.
The Blues give up a ton of shot volume on a nightly basis. I don't think they'll be able to slow Bratt down.
Dylan Cozens over 0.5 pointsCozens has recorded a point in four of the Sabres' past five home games, failing only to get the job done against the Stanley Cup-contending Avalanche.
I like his chances of continued success against Philadelphia. Selke candidate Sean Couturier is banged up and not expected to play, which takes a bite out of Philadelphia's two-way game.
The absence of starting goaltender Carter Hart should also greatly benefit Cozens and the Sabres. He's performed exactly to expectation this season based on workload. His backup, Samuel Ersson, has also conceded eight goals more than expected through just three games.
Facing Ersson or Cal Petersen - who played his way out of the NHL with a pair of bad seasons in Los Angeles - should lead to an extra goal or two for the Sabres, meaning Cozens has even more opportunities to get involved.
He will get his fair share of ice time at even strength and is a key contributor on the top power play. Up against weak goaltending, I like his chances of finding the scoresheet.
Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @ToddCordell.
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